Uninterruptible Power Supply suggestions

[Kyle1886]

The last round of power outages by SDG&E killed my security cameras DVR and I had to replace it.

I want to get a UPS just for the new system, but funds are very limited. Since it will be just a DVR/camers and a monitor the unit need not be a high watage unit. Monitor is 28 watts and the DVR is less than that and all I need is time to power down. (I'm home most of the time).

I've researched APC, CyberPower, and TrippLite units of all flavors and it appears that it's hit and miss a far as reliability and safety. It seems that some cause more problems than they are suppose to solve.

Since no software is not required in this setting, software issues are not important.

What would you recommend?

Respectfully
Kyle

[Robotron2k84]

It would be disheartening if APC has gone down-hill to where they cause problems and are unreliable. APC used to be the gold standard for consumer, up to DC back-up-power.

But, they probably have a cheap, consumer, “made in China” line now. Their “SmartUPS” line was the go to for most of my career. Those used to be assembled in the US. Not sure if that’s still the case. They are pricey, however, at $1-2 per VA for the smaller units.

Runtime is the most critical, then filtering and balancing, and lastly convenience software.

Find one of the vendors and see if they have a runtime / load calculator to figure out how many volt amps you need for a given interval.

Remember, you cannot connect a UPS to a generator...it will fry the generator’s controller in most cases. The line for service to the UPS should be off-generator.

[dracer]

I run my gen with it all the time , it is a older onan no circuit board

[incredablehefey]

[Robotron2k84]

If your generator uses a thyristor for voltage control the balancing that the UPS does can overheat the thyristor and cause it to fail, or start a fire in some cases.

There is a proper way to make the two work together, but it requires rewiring your panel and adding in extra line filtering.

[the86d]

Last I checked, not caring to do so now... I recall seeing all the older-style/Watt units that had removed/dead batteries for sale on eBay.

[Dragunov]

The last round of power outages by SDG&E killed my security cameras DVR and I had to replace it.

I want to get a UPS just for the new system, but funds are very limited. Since it will be just a DVR/camers and a monitor the unit need not be a high watage unit. Monitor is 28 watts and the DVR is less than that and all I need is time to power down. (I'm home most of the time).

I've researched APC, CyberPower, and TrippLite units of all flavors and it appears that it's hit and miss a far as reliability and safety. It seems that some cause more problems than they are suppose to solve.

Since no software is not required in this setting, software issues are not important.

What would you recommend?

Respectfully
Kyle

When I'm running things on my computer where power is critical, I simply run them from my W540 laptop, and it's 9cell battery. Power goes out, I'm still going for the next 7 hrs, maybe 8, depending if they're idle tasks or not. Not saying this is the BEST way to do it, but it works. However, you only have a limited amount of things you can run off your battery, limited to Thunderbolt, or USB.

[Kyle1886]

Thanks for all the responses and info.

Take care be safe.

Respectfully,
Kyle

[the_tunaman]

I’m still quite happy with APC. I have four units attached to various electronic devices and they perform just fine. The one connected to my servers allows me to power down in the case of an extended outage, and the others protect my sensitive electronics from surges.

I’ve had to replace the battery on a couple of them, which is necessary over time, but it is worthwhile for the peace of mind.

[Mute]

Refurbished UPS Works perfectly fine and you can get them at a decent discount.

[ibanezfoo]

We buy 100's, if not 1000's of UPSs. Its always APC / Schneider Electric. From desktop units to units that require a crane to install. They just work. Yes, every once in a while you get a bad one, or a bad battery module, but overall they've been reliable.

[vino68]

Also remember the batteries need to be replaced at least every three years or so. You will want AVR and pure sine wave, not simulated.

[yellowsulphur]

Also remember the batteries need to be replaced at least every three years or so. You will want AVR and pure sine wave, not simulated.

This is correct, diode rectified is not the same as a pure sine wave UPS. Modern power supply units are good at handling garbage power though.

[Cowboy T]

Every UPS that I have is APC, and it's for a reason. We had a local transformer blow up, and it caused all sorts of things to fry. Fortunately, I had all the electronics on several Back-UPS units, so the gear was safe. Two of the Back-UPS units ended up sacrificing themselves in the process. Must've been one heckuva power surge.

I called up APC and explained what happened. The APC tech support guy and I had a good chuckle about it. Both units were still in the warranty period, and I had two new Back-UPS units of the same type within a week. No fuss.

That's why I go with APC.

[ibanezfoo]

Every UPS that I have is APC, and it's for a reason. We had a local transformer blow up, and it caused all sorts of things to fry. Fortunately, I had all the electronics on several Back-UPS units, so the gear was safe. Two of the Back-UPS units ended up sacrificing themselves in the process. Must've been one heckuva power surge.

I called up APC and explained what happened. The APC tech support guy and I had a good chuckle about it. Both units were still in the warranty period, and I had two new Back-UPS units of the same type within a week. No fuss.

That's why I go with APC.

Thats a good point too. Their support is great. We had a brand new rack unit out at a jobsite that nobody bothered to tell us was on a generator. It would charge the batteries during the day, and drain them throughout the night. Well, that lasted all of two weeks before those batteries were completely toast. APC replaced the first set of batteries but said if we are going to be draining them like that they weren't going to replace them again. Fair enough. Those types of batteries aren't supposed to be completely drained and charged repeatedly. And yes we have a form the PMs fill out that explains what kind of power they have, network requirements, etc so we can set them up appropriately. They often lie...